Reel for wire stitching machines



Jan. 1, 1952 A. F. FISCHER REEL FOR WIRE STITCHING MACHINES 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Feb. 4, 1949 INVENTOR. F2 50/: e r

Jan. 1, 1952 A. F. FISCHER REEL FOR WIRE STITCHING MACHINES 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Feb. 4, 1949 Patented Jan. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application February 4, 1949, Serial No. 74,657

4 Claims. (Cl..242-'124) This invention relates to a reel for wire stitching machines. 1

In wire stitching machines at present in use only a relatively small roll of wire can be mounted on the reel, so that the machine is frequently stopped to insert a new roll. These small rolls of wire have a weight of about five pounds, and while it may seem to be a relatively simple matter to use a larger reel for a larger roll, the prob lem involved is not so simple, as a number of factors arising from the use of a larger roll of Wire preclude the mere enlargement of the existing reel.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved reel assembly which is so constructed that it will accommodate wire rolls of from five to twenty-five pounds or more, so that the machine can run for a long period without stopping, and in addition the use of a large roll of wire will effect an economy in the cost of the wire.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved wire reel having a removable head, and means for removably securing the head on the hub.

A further object of this invention is to provide a spring-pressed locking means for the removable head, together with a positive locking means which will prevent accidental release of the removable head.

A further object of this invention is to provide a reel of this kind which can be substituted for the existing reel on an old machine so that the machine can be run for longer periods without reloading.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specifications, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a detail side'elevation of a reel for holding a roll of wire of the type used in wire stitching machine,

Figure 2 is a detail front elevation of the reel showing the supporting bracket partly broken away and in section,

Figure 8 is a fragmentary vertical section of the reel on an enlarged scale,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional View taken v 2 structed according to an embodiment of this invention is mounted on the shaft or spindle in for rotation thereabout, and this reel includes a hollow hub l4 having a plate or side wall 15 integrally formed therewith.

A brake drum I6 is formed with the side wall IS on the outer side thereof and is adapted to have a brake band disposed thereabout as more specifically set forth inmy copending application filed of even date herewith, for a Wire Tensioning. Means. The hub i l has disposed therein a pair of anti-friction bearing members ll and 18 which engage in counterbores l9 and 2!; respectively, formed in the opposite ends of the hub id. The shaft I0 is formed with an annular groove 2| adjacent the bracket arm l2 and a securing plate 22 which is formed with a radial slot 23 is secured to the inner end of the hub i l by fastening means 24. The slot 23 is adapted to engage in the groove 2| so that when the plate 22 is secured to the hub M, the latter will be held against endwise movement relative to the haft or spindle H).

A removable wall or plate 25 engages about the opposite or outer end of the hub l4 and the plate 25 includes a housing 26 which is formed of a cylindrical side wall 21 and an outer end wall 28.

The inner diameter of the cylindrical side wall ,2! is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the hub l4 so that the outer end of the hub Hi may loosely engage within the interior of the side wall 21. The plate 25 is adapted to be removably secured to the hub 14 by means of a locking pin 29 which extends diametrically across a cylindrical hub extension 30.

The hub extension 39 is formed at its inner end with a flange 3| which is secured by fastening means 32 to the outer end of the hub i4. The flange v3| is formed with an annular recess 33 within which the outer-end of the bearing [8 is adapted to engage so that the hub extension 39 will be centered with respect to the hub M. The locking pin 29 loosely engages through a pair of diametrically opposed elongated slots 35 which are formed with the extension 30, and a springpressed plunger 35 is slidable in the extension 39, being formed with a concave seat tfi'within which the reduced diameter intermediate portion 31 of the pin 29 is adapted to engage. By providing the reduced intermediate portion 31 in the pin 29 the latter is held by the spring-pressed plunger 35 against endwise movement.

A spring 38 is disposed in the extension 30, bearing at its outer end against an end wall 39 formed on the outer end of the extension 3!! and bearing at its inner end against the plunger 35. The laterally projecting ends of the locking pin 29 are adapted to initially engage in the slots or spaces 40 which are formed in the body orboss 27 on theinterior of the latter. The boss 2? is formed with a pair. of segmental shaped blocks 4| and a pair of pin locking keeper plates 42 of longitudinally arcuate configuration, as shown in Figure 5, are secured by fastening means 43 to the blocks 4 I Each'keeper member 42 is formed with a bevelled end portion 44 and also with a concave seat or keeper element 45 within which the pin 29 is adapted to engage.

If it is desired to positively lock the wall or plate 25 onto the hub I4, a screw 46 is threaded inwardly through the end wall 39 until the inner end of the screw 46 bears against the plunger 35. With a reel as hereinbefore described, different sizes and weights of wire may be mounted thereon and the rolls of wire are mounted on the reel by removing the end wall 25 and slipping the roll of wire onto the hub 14. The removable wall 25 is then returned to the hub 14 and is given a fragmentary turn until the ends of the locking pin 29 engage in the keeper grooves or notches 45 which are formed in the keeper plates 42.

This reel has been particularly designed for holding wire having a weight greater than five pounds and it will be understood that various sizes of wire reelsor rolls may be mounted on the reel hereinbefore described without requiring any change whatever in the construction of the reel.

The reel hereinbefore described provides a balanced mounting for the wire spool or roll so that 4 toward the hub, a second reel endwall formed with a flange peripherally disposed from a centered housing slidable over said key ends and onto said hub for variable spacing of the flange on the hub relative to said integral endwall, a

. pair of arcuate plates disposed within said housdifferent sizes and weights of spools or rolls may heavy spools of wire and the consequent readjustment of the feed rolls when the wire rolls or spools are reduced in weight.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction herein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview of the appended claims.

What I claims is:

l. A reel for a wire stitching machine comprising a stationary shaft, a hub rotatably mounted on said shaft, means holding said hub against endwise movement, a head fixed to one end of said hub, a second head, and means removably securing said second head on said hub, said securing means including a hollow extension carried by the opposite end of said hub, said extension having a pair of elongated diametrically disposed slots, a locking pin loosely disposed in said slots, a spring-pressed plunger in said hollow extension constantly urging said pin toward the innerends ing having oppositely disposed free ends under which said key ends engage for securing the last mentioned reel endwall in place, and a lock means extending axially of said housing through said aperture with an end engageable with said plunger to lock said key against outward movement. 7

3. A reel for a wire stitching machine comprising a stationary shaft, a hub rotatably mounted on said shaft, means holding said hub against endwise movement, a head fixed to one end of said hub, a second head, and means removably securing said second head on said hub, said securing means including an extension carried by the opposite end of said hub, said extension having a pair of elongated diametrically disposed slots, a locking pin loosely disposed in said slots, spring-pressed means constantly urging said pin toward the inner ends of said slots, a pair of keepers carried by said second head engageable with said pin, and means precluding diametrical displacement of said pin relative to said extensicn,-said extension being provided with a longitudinally extending bore, a plunger having a transversely extending channel in the end thereof in said bore, said pin being of reduced diameter within said extension and said channel engaging said reduced portion to preclude diametrical displacement of the pin relative to the extension.

4. A reel for a wire stitching machine comprising a stationary shaft, a hub rotatably mounted on said shaft, means holding said hub against endwise movement, a head fixed to one end of said hub, a plate secured to the opposite end of said hub, a hollow extension having a pair of elongated slots therein projecting from said plate, a

locking pin extending through said slots, a sec- 0nd head, a hollow housing on said second head i adapted removably to seat on said plate over said extension, a pair of arcuate pin-locking keeper plates in said hollow housing adapted to be engaged by said pin, a spring biased plunger in said hollow extension normally biasing said pin inof said slots, a pair of keepers carried by said -2. A reel construction for a wire stitching ma 1 chine comprising a shaft fixed to the machine, said shaft having an annular groove spaced from a free end, a reel having a hub rotatably positioned on said free end, a removable securing means carried by said hub and engaging in said annular groove, an integral disc extending outwardly of said hub to form a fixed reel endwall, a hub extension disposed at the end opposite from said integral wall and formed with an apertured outer endwall, said extension having a bore aligned with said shaft, a pair of oppositely disposed elongated slots formed in said extension, a transverse key member carried by said slots having protruding ends extending therefrom, a spring pressed plunger disposed within the extension outwardly of said key for urging the key REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 688,652 Krug Dec. 10, 1901. 1,627,889 Elliott May 10, 1927 1,937,918 Smith et al. ii Dec. 5, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 119,540 Great Britain Oct-7, 1913 

